


No Easy Answers

by babs



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 20:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20364826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babs/pseuds/babs
Summary: A tag to Ethon.Daniel deals with the aftermath of the misson.





	No Easy Answers

"Don't work too long," Cameron said to Daniel. He patted Daniel's shoulder and picked up the still half full can of beer. "Not a fan?"

Daniel shrugged. "Too tempting to drown myself in a couple more." He leaned back in his chair and looked at Cam. "I'm still trying to figure out where we went wrong."

Cam frowned. "General O'Neill told me you think too much sometimes."

"Am I supposed to consider that an insult?" 

"We offered—you offered them solutions. It's not our fault they chose not to listen. Not our fault they couldn't see past their differences."

"Too many good people died," Daniel said. He looked back at the papers on his desk. Lose himself in a translation and hopefully make himself tired enough that he'd forget that fear of thinking the rest of his team had been killed when the Prometheus had been blown up."And I can't help but wonder if things would be different had we never gone there in the first place."

"That's a dangerous road to go down," Cam said. "You know this is one of those times there's not gonna be an answer, right?"

"Yeah," Daniel said. 

"Then listen to your team leader. Put this stuff away, go get changed, and go home," Cam said gently. "And get some sleep, Daniel."

"Daniel?" 

Cam gave a one-shouldered shrug. "It * is * your name." He walked to the door of Daniel's lab and paused at the door. "I meant it—go home, get some rest."

Daniel waved him away and turned back to the translation. The beer soured his mouth and he reached for the coffee mug he'd filled earlier. Push past the fear, he told himself. 

The writing on the paper blurred as he worked and images and memories of Leda surfaced—her kindness, her courage in the face of danger, and her love for her husband—dead because she wouldn't give in to the Ori. Jared Kane-wanting to save his people, wanting to save his world. Was he lost forever or still working to find a peaceful solution? And Pendergast whom he'd never known well-sacrificing his life to save seventy six others. Was he selfish for being so overwhelmingly grateful that Teal'c and Sam and Cameron had survived when others had lost their lives? He thought back to the memorial service—thirty nine names being read, names being added to the long list of those whose service, not only to their country, but to their world, could not be recognized formally. His eyes burned as he thought of them and remembered others from other worlds lost. Sha're, still an ache in his heart, Skaara and Kasuf lost to him forever too. They'd fought their own battles.

He took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose and scowled at his coffee. He wasn't getting anywhere with the translation and sighed. Maybe Sam was still in her lab or Teal'c was somewhere around. He didn't want to go home to an empty apartment where he'd be alone with all his ghosts.

"Doctor Jackson, I thought you'd be headed home by now," General Landry said while Daniel waited by the elevator. 

"I was going to see Colonel Carter," Daniel said. He resisted the very strong urge to lean against the wall.

"Colonel Carter left a few hours ago," Landry said. "And Teal'c went with her. So, I'd suggest you head to your home too." He gave Daniel an appraising look. "Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah," Daniel sighed. "I'll be fine." He punched in the number and headed to the locker room to change.

* * * *

The lights were on in his apartment and he wondered why. He was sure he hadn't left them on when he'd left however many days ago it had been. Run up the electric bill, Jackson, he thought. 

The headache that had been chasing him in his office had caught up and was currently pounding away. He hoped there was a can of soup or a frozen dinner he could put in the microwave because he was pretty sure he needed groceries. Even the thought of making a call for delivery was painful.

He could hear his TV on and he was certain he'd made sure that was off. He stood at his door, key in hand, and debated between opening the door or calling the police. But surely a thief wouldn't have broken in and kept on lights and TV. He touched the door knob, turned it slightly, and felt his heart beat just a little faster when it opened.

"Yes!" A shout from the living room made him realize just why the lights were on and the door had been left unlocked.

"Jack?" He locked the door behind him, dropped his jacket on the floor, and didn't bother to pick it up.

"Daniel!" He was caught up in a hug and he winced at Jack's voice.

Jack pushed him away slightly and frowned. "Uh oh." His voice became much softer and he stepped away and muted the TV and turned off all but one light.

"Thank you," Daniel said, his headache not quite as bad. He wasn't sure if it was due to Jack's dimming the lights or due to Jack himself. He found himself seated on his sofa and a glass being pressed into his hand.

"What you are doing here?" Daniel asked and squinted up at him. "And more importantly how did you get in my apartment?"

"You never asked for your key back," Jack said and shrugged. "And as for why I'm here, I figured you could use a friend."

"A friend," Daniel repeated. 

"It was a rough mission," Jack said. "A lot of good people lost their lives."

"In the end, it didn't matter," Daniel said, bitter. "They were murdered, plain and simple."

"It wasn't your fault."

Daniel looked at him in surprise. "I didn't say it was."

"You didn't need to." Jack patted his shoulder and wandered into the kitchen. 

Daniel grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. He didn't need to be reminded how the humans here were screwing up everything too. He leaned back against the sofa cushions and closed his eyes. It was a mistake. He saw the dot indicating the Prometheus disappear again and again and swore he could hear the screams of the lost.

"Come eat," Jack said and he opened his eyes with a start.

He wanted to say no, to go to bed, pull the covers over his head and hope for a modicum of rest. 

The table was set with two plates piled high with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. 

Daniel glanced at his kitchen—no pots and pans in sight. "You didn't cook all this?"

Jack snorted. "Courtesy of Jennie's Diner."

"It's the thought that counts," Daniel said and filled his fork with turkey and cranberry sauce. He hadn't thought he'd be able to eat, but the first bite awakened his appetite and he was suddenly famished.

"Why did you come?" Daniel asked again. "You mean to tell me the Pentagon doesn't have a problem with a general just gallivanting off to wherever he chooses to visit a friend?"

Jack grinned—a grin that made Daniel's stomach do a small flip-flop. "When said general is head of Homeworld Security and said general's best friend has been through a traumatic experience, said general might have some power to do as he pleases."

"Said general needs to mind his business and not said general's best friend's."

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," Jack said in a tone both familiar and strangely comforting. "I'm not the only one who cares. Besides I have to go back to DC tomorrow afternoon."

Daniel pushed away his plate, his appetite gone. "I'm a grown man---you know. Your geek is an adult now—a soldier."

"You are not a soldier. Never have been, never will be."

"Gee thanks. Your faith in me is overwhelming."

"I don't mean it like that and you know it." Jack stood and grabbed the plates. 

"I don't know what you want from me. The SGC isn't blameless in this," Daniel said. He stood and took a plate from Jack, nearly spilling what was left on it on the floor. "We're—I'm the one who argued we visit in the first place. I'm the one who insisted we go back and now thirty nine of our people are dead. And quite possibly, I set in motion the destruction of two countries."

Jack took the plate back—gently. "I'll take care of this. Go. Sit. Breathe."

Daniel hunched his shoulders and gave up in the face of what was the force of Jack. He paced his living room, unable to sit, to rest, even though he recognized how much he needed it. 

"Daniel," Jack said and he startled. Damn him for sneaking up on him—or maybe he needed to damn himself for letting his guard down.

"Thirty nine people," Daniel said. He crossed his arms over his chest, told himself it was because he was cold, but knew it was really to hold himself together.

"Yes," Jack said. "But not Carter or Mitchell or Teal'c."

Daniel turned away, his breath catching and felt that same fear once again. 

"Sit." Jack's hands were on his shoulders and he sank onto the sofa, his legs gone shaky.

"I'm sick of losing people," Daniel said. "And I thought—I thought…"

"Been there, done that," Jack said. "Although you, at least, have the habit of coming back."

"They wouldn't listen to me," Daniel said. "No one would listen, and I heard them give the order to fire on the Prometheus and I watched the display and it wasn't there any more." He looked at Jack. "I thought they were all dead."

"But they didn't die. They're here, they're safe."

"I know that," Daniel said. "I know but…"

"There aren't any guarantees," Jack said.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah." He couldn't quite repress a sigh. "I was so scared. When I heard Mitchell's voice, I started to hope again. Hope that I, we, could make a difference."

"And they didn't listen to you," Jack said.

"I keep asking why, even though I know there isn't an answer." Daniel couldn't keep looking at Jack, not with all the concern he saw in those brown eyes.

"No. Hell, we can't even figure it out here on Earth," Jack said. "The very young and all that."

Daniel leaned his head on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He listened to the sound of his and Jack's breath, the dishwasher cycling in the kitchen, and the now very quiet sound of a hockey game on his TV.

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for..." Daniel said without turning his head or opening his eyes. "You know."

"Yeah. I do," Jack said.

Daniel felt a blanket being put on him and pulled it closer. Sleep—sleep was not quite as frightening a prospect as it had been earlier and he let himself surrender with Jack at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> After watching and re-watching Ethon at least 3 times in the past few weeks, I felt the episode was just screaming for a tag which explored more of Daniel's feelings in the aftermath.
> 
> Seeing Daniel's despair and utter desolation when he thinks the rest of his team is gone after the Prometheus is destroyed and then his sadness when he reports what's happened on the planet to Cameron Mitchell at the end of the episode made me long for Daniel to have a friend there for him.
> 
> And who better than Jack O'Neill? I consider this pre-slash although Jack and Daniel aren't quite aware of their destinies with each other yet, but certainly there isn't much there yet.


End file.
